


Alone Again

by city_bright



Category: The Mindy Project
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-09
Updated: 2019-06-09
Packaged: 2020-04-23 09:38:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19148425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/city_bright/pseuds/city_bright
Summary: Prompt request to have Danny take Mindy to the ESB. Magic Morgan AU where Danny knocks on Mindy's door, instead of Morgan.





	Alone Again

**Author's Note:**

> Firstly, thank you to the anon on Tumblr for this prompt request! It truly made my day. :)
> 
> I also can't believe I actually finished writing a fic, considering how many works in progress I have lol. But I really enjoyed writing this, so I hope you like it, and please let me know what you think!

She’s making herself feel worse, but she can’t help it. As much as she wants to feel normal again, the heartbreak is all too much to ignore, so she leans right into it and stares at the black and white photos of her and Casey. She still misses him, and she’s drunk enough on wine to hear Casey’s voice in her head, and for a second, she feels a little better. But then the photo version of herself suggests going to the gym, which is honestly just too far. S _tupid skank._

A pounding at her door saves the miniature version of herself from a few more choice words. “Mindy, you in there?”

It’s Danny, and she wrinkles her brow in confusion as to why he’s here, of all people. She really wants to be left alone to wallow in peace, so she does her best British accent.

“Mindy’s not here right now.”

A beat. “Is that Mrs. Doubtfire? Come on, Mindy, let me in.”

Her curiosity gets the best of her, and she opens the door for him, to find him clutching onto a large paper bag against his chest. “Hey, what are you doing here?”

“Well, I-,” he stammers, “you aren’t feeling very well, so I thought I’d bring some food from your favorite Thai place.” His lips curl up into a small, but proud smile, and she doesn’t have the heart to tell him that she’s tits deep in at least three bottles of wine (she lost track) and not at all hungry.

“Oh, thanks,” she says, allowing him to enter. He carefully removes each container out of the bag and onto her counter, comfortably moving around her kitchen to serve her and himself a plate of pad thai.

He forks a generous helping of noodles into his mouth. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

She makes a non-committal noise as she pokes and prods at the rice noodles before taking a small bite, which makes her stomach turn, but she swallows anyway to be polite. She settles her fork back onto the plate and pushes it slightly away, which really catches his attention.

“Mindy, are you okay? I’ve never seen you turn down a plate of food. Like…,” he raises his eyebrow in thought, “ever.”

She sighs dramatically as she walks to her couch and curls herself in the corner, face smushed against a decorative pillow. “No, just leave me here to die alone.”

“You’re not going to die alone,” he reassures her, trailing behind her to the living room to sit on her coffee table.

“You don't know that,” the words still muffled by the cloth material of her pillow.

“Yes, I do. Now, come on.” He nudges her shoulder with a balled fist. “If you’re not going to eat, then at least get up. We’re going out.”

“Why?” she whines, shifting to her other side to face him.

“Because. You gotta get out of your apartment. Get some fresh air. It’ll make you feel better, I promise.” His eyes are intense and soft and concerned, and he’s making it difficult to say no.

She sighs. “Fine, okay.” She relegates herself to her closet to get ready, and when she turns the corner after a few minutes, he immediately protests.

“No, take ‘em off. How many times do I have to tell you?”

“What?!” she exclaims, looking down at her Fatsteps. “These shoes are amazing.”

“No one thinks that. They’re absolutely ridiculous.”

“I’m heartbroken. How _dare_ you take away _the one thing_ that makes me happy,” she argues, placing her hands on her hips. She’s playing dirty, but then he’s rubbing a hand at the back of his neck, and she knows she has him. That’s his tell.

“Ugh, fine,” he acquiesces, and she smiles victoriously.

“So, where are you taking me?” she asks as they walk down the steps from her apartment.

“I don’t know. The point was to go outside. I didn’t think about the where.”

“So we’re just going to wander around like idiots?”

“Yeah, is that so bad?” he asks with a smirk.

“Uh, _yeah_. I’d rather be in bed. This sucks.” She crosses her arm across her chest in annoyance.

“Come on, don’t be like that. Just enjoy it for what it is.”

“Ugh.”

He smiles and shakes his head as he leads them uptown on 8th Avenue.

They’re keeping up with the pace of other pedestrians, and they’re quickly approaching Midtown, and she can see the Empire State Building peeking in and out from in-between the buildings as they walk. She sighs every time she looks up because it just reminds her how alone she truly is now. 

They turn on 34th Street, and she wonders if he’s aware of their proximity to the most romantic building in the world. This must be some kind of sick joke. They’re a block away, and he’s starting to gravitate to the right side of the sidewalk until it’s clear that his destination is, in fact, the Empire State Building. She has to stop him to make sure he knows exactly what he’s doing.

“Danny, this is the Empire State Building.”

“Yes, and we’re going in. You coming or not?”

She stammers because she has no idea what is happening right now or what he’s trying to do. She thinks about it. “Danny, if you’re planning to throw me off the building, I swear to god, I’m going to kill you.”

He laughs at that. Like really laughs, and it’s endearing as much as it is annoying. “Danny!”

“No, Mindy, I’m not going to throw you off the building. If I wanted to kill you, I would’ve done it a long time ago. C’mon.” He opens the door and walks inside without waiting for her, which really leaves her no choice but to follow him.

They take their place in line, and her body feels like it’s on fire. She’s dying to ask him a million questions because this feels like a big deal, but she knows that as soon as she does, he’s going to close up like clam, and she can’t have that. She needs answers, damn it.

She steals quick glances at him during the wait, and his lips quirk up into a smile, but she notices the way he bites the inside of his cheek to stop it, and she’s fully convinced it’s all a prank. He knows exactly what he’s doing. She cautiously steps out of the elevator and her eyes are darting around, trying to prepare for something or someone to jump out at her.

“What’s wrong with you? You’re all shifty.”

“Well, sorry, Danny, if I’m a little concerned. It’s not every day my co-worker with a _very_ questionable level of broodiness takes me to the Empire State Building with no explanation.”

He rolls his eyes. “Stop being so dramatic. No games, I promise.” His eyes has that look again, and she believes him. She wonders when they got so expressive.

She walks to the edge, and it’s all forgotten. The twinkling lights of the cityscape has never ceased to amaze her, and she sometimes forgets she lives in the best city in the world. He’s fidgeting slightly, but they stand in relative silence for a few minutes. She takes a deep breath of fresh air, which is near impossible in the city below, and Danny’s right. She does feel better.

“Why’d you bring me here?” she blurts out, unable to hold it in any longer. He visibly gulps, and she fears that she made him retreat back into his shell. It takes so much for him to come out and so little for him to hide again that she’s been lucky enough to witness the few times he’s willing to be vulnerable. This feels like one of those moments.

“I just.. didn’t want you to be sad,” he admits, looking out to the city and avoiding eye contact with her. “I don’t know. There’s something so… hopeful about seeing the city from afar. Like you’re not alone, you know?” He finally turns to look at her, and she’s overwhelmed by his gesture. She can’t imagine him doing this just for anyone, and her heart swells at the idea that he may care about her more than he lets on.

She nods and turns back to admire the city once again. She thinks about what he just said, and she can imagine him taking the ferry to and from Staten Island and looking at the city passing him by, feeling somewhat comforted by it. She wonders how many times he’s felt a little less alone in those moments, and it makes her sad to even think about him feeling alone at all. She shakes her head at the thought. She can’t think about that right now.

She takes another deep breath. “Can I do something really quick?” she asks, beginning to dig through her purse.

“Sure.”

She finds the photo booth photos of herself and Casey and gives it one last look. She will miss what they had, but it’s time to close that chapter of her life and move on. She rips it half and lets the New York City wind carry it away.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay. Ready to go?”

“Let’s go.”

When they walk out of the building and back into the hustle and bustle of the city, the lightness she felt 102 floors up has floated away, and she feels like she’s been hit with a ton of bricks. But she looks over at Danny, a man of many surprises, and knows that no matter what happens, she can always count on him to be there.


End file.
